Lexington to put city checkbook online

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Local government payroll information and purchase orders will soon be available on the City’s open data portal.

Mayor Jim Gray announced Thursday that Lexington has been selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ “What Works Cities” – one of the largest-ever efforts to enhance the use of data and information in the public sector.

“An important part of running government efficiently is transparency,” Gray said. “The public has the right to see how their tax dollars are being spent, and we want to make it easier for citizens to track local government personnel expenses and contracts. Working with What Works Cities, we’re putting the City’s checkbook online,” Gray said.

Bloomberg invited 13 cities, including Lexington, to work with What Works Cities by committing to enhance their use of data and evidence to improve city services, inform local decision making and engage residents.

What Works Cities collaborates with participating municipalities to review their current use of data and evidence, understand where they are utilizing best practices, and identify areas for improvement. Through its expert partners, What Works Cities will help Lexington expand its use of data and evidence by making more public data easily accessible through the City’s website, www.lexingtonky.gov. Employee payroll and purchase orders are expected to be available by the end of the first quarter of 2016, and will be updated quarterly. The data files will be posted as downloadable spreadsheets.